


Love In A Pandemic

by nic_d



Category: Richard Armitage - Fandom
Genre: Coronavirus : Covid-19, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-09
Updated: 2020-11-09
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:40:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27474400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nic_d/pseuds/nic_d
Summary: Although I am not an Intensive Care Nurse I am a Nurse who has been working throughout the National Covid-19 Pandemic and this is a short story just as a way for me to forget about work. It involves my favourite actor Richard Armitage. In no way does my story reflect any thoughts or beliefs around Richard's relationship behaviours & the content of this story is purely fiction from my head.It is 2020 and whilst England is in the middle of a world health crisis Richard's work has ceased, however his new girlfriend Nicole is in full flow at work as an Intensive Care Nurse, which means their relationship has been put slightly on hold. Nicole plans a surprise by going to Richard's house, but the surprise ends up being on her when he returns home with another woman. Richard doesn't allow anything to happen as soon as he knows Nicole is in his house but before he can speak to her she slips from his house. Nicole refuses to listen to Richard initially and he has to take advice from his brother to see if he can win Nicole back. Just as his hopes of a reconciliation start to rise disaster strikes and Nicole ends up on the unit where she works. Will the couple get back together and get their happy ever after?
Relationships: Richard Armitage/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 5





	Love In A Pandemic

Nicole was exhausted, she was working her seventh straight twelve hour shift in the Intensive Care Unit and since the start of the Coronavirus outbreak in March 2020 she could count the number of days off that she had taken on her hands, it was now mid August and things weren’t quite as bad as they had been in May and June but the Intensive Care Unit where she was a senior nurse was still at capacity with patients who had tested positive for Covid-19.  
Despite her exhaustion Nicole carried on, spurred on by the thought of seeing Richard as she was taking a few days off after another five days at work. She knew his birthday was approaching and so she planned to surprise him by turning up at his house unannounced. Nicole had met the actor when she had been struggling to get her suitcase off of a train last November and he had simply lifted it from the overhead storage and then carried it out of the station for her even though she had been saying she could manage and thank you. Outside the station Richard had grinned at her and said he’d been trying to find a reason to speak to her throughout the train journey, now as a thank you he asked if she would give him her number and call when she was free so she could take him for a drink. She’d given him her number and he had called her in front of her and said now she had his number it was up to her to call and arrange the drink.   
She held out for almost two weeks then called and asked if she could take him for a thank you drink. She hadn’t really realised who Richard was until in the pub he was asked for photos and autographs, Nicole caught on when someone said she’d loved him as Thorin in The Hobbit. Richard’s eyes had crinkled when he turned and looked at Nicole’s shocked expression.  
Their relationship took a while to bloom and it didn’t really develop until January when Richard kissed Nicole before she exited the cab they were sharing after a meal at an Italian restaurant. She had been leaning back again the front door of the flat she rented with her friend Emily, touching her lips when her phone rang. Richard’s name flashed across the screen, she had answered and he had said I want more than a kiss, will you give me more and be my girlfriend and Nicole had said yes.

Covid-19 had impacted their relationship greatly, Richard’s play had been cancelled so he had adapted a room in his home to record audiobooks but Nicole had been working flat out and not wanting to risk inadvertently infecting Richard they had relied on telephone contact only since the national lockdown at the end of March. They were both frustrated but so was most of the population of the country. Nicole had spent her birthday weekend which happened to be the weekend before the national lockdown in March at Richard’s house. That had been the first time they made love, it was more than sex for Nicole because having told Richard she wasn’t very experienced he had been ultra-gentle with her and her feelings for him had become so much stronger as a result. If only Coronavirus hadn’t reared its head she had a feeling things would have really developed between them. On her break Nicole called Richard and they chatted for 20 minutes, during the call Richard shared that the play he had been performing was going to be filmed in the theatre and then released in cinema’s and potentially on TV. It meant the theatre could make some money from the production whilst they could not have an audience in the theatre. Nicole had been thrilled for Richard who was isolating along with everyone else who would be involved with the play and the filming. During their conversation she learnt that the filming would take place on her first day of leave and so she subconsciously made plans to aid her surprise for Richard.  
Nicole’s first day of leave arrived and she picked up her small bag of clothes and headed out to Richard’s by train, waking from the station the short distance to his property. He had given her a key for her birthday weekend that was still on her keychain so she let herself in calling out hello as she made her way in. She was unsurprised and glad to find no sign that Richard was at home. Taking her bag upstairs she then made her way to the small supermarket down the road and brought the ingredients to make a chicken supreme, a lasagne and a curry hoping that they wouldn’t need to leave the house for a few days after Richard arrived home tonight.  
Nicole enjoyed cooking so made the bulk of the three main meals, she would cook the rice for the chicken supreme when Richard returned. She also made an apple crumble and a rice pudding, she wasn’t afraid to eat and didn’t really care what anyone else though of her figure. She wore a size fourteen and was more of a pear shape but Richard hadn’t complained about her 34E breasts or her ample hips and buttocks, in fact he had loved everything about Nicole’s body when he had seen her naked for the first time.  
She thought about calling and leaving him a message, knowing he would have turned off his phone in the theatre she wondered if he would call when he picked up the message and then she would have an idea he was heading back. Instead she sent a text saying she hoped the filming went well and she looked forward to speaking to him soon. By 9pm Nicole was concerned, she hadn’t heard from Richard and she was still struggling with tiredness having not had huge volumes of sleep for several days. She cooked the rice and heated a portion of the chicken for herself before deciding to head up to the bedroom. Still wanting to surprise Richard she undressed and pulled the reel of red ribbon from her bag. Tying a strip around her breasts she then threaded the ribbon between her legs and tied it around the strand across her breasts. She was gifting herself to Richard and looked forward to him unwrapping her when he got home.

Filming had gone well and the cast and film crew were enjoying bottles of wine and beer they had brought in to celebrate the filming. Katie one of the backstage staff was sitting next to Richard with a glass of wine, she’d flirted with Richard all the time they had been in the theatre before the lockdown and he had been friendly but had resisted her attempts to tempt him. But tonight was different, Richard knew Nicole was working hard as was every other nurse, medic and all the other staff working in the hospitals but god was he fed up with using his hand to relieve the tension and sexual ache. Perhaps he should call her and ask if there was any chance he could see her, he’d isolated for this filming as had everyone else so the risk had to be low surely. He started to pull his phone from his back pocket to turn it on and go outside and call Nicole but it slipped from his fingers. Bending to pick it up from the floor he came face to face with Katie who had his phone in her hands, her eyes locked with Richard’s and she planted a kiss onto his lips.  
Richard’s brain told him to stop but he couldn’t, the kiss had frazzled his partially inebriated brain. He’d pulled away instantly but when Katie stood to say she was going home, Richard followed suit and now they were in the back of a taxi heading to his house lip-locked again. As Richard paid the taxi driver a strange sensation not related to Katie’s fingers on his back ran down his spine which he tried to ignore and which he put down to his mild drunkenness. However when he opened his front door he knew something wasn’t right, he could smell curry and something sweet that he knew he hadn’t cooked himself. He looked around, all of his windows were intact so he hadn’t been burgled although what burglar would cook a curry in his house? Something definitely wasn’t right but before he could explore Katie had her hands and mouth all over him and the part of his brain that he should be shutting down because he did have a girlfriend was ruling his body. They kissed and caressed each other before Katie asked about taking things to the bedroom, Richard wasn’t sure and sensing his hesitation Katie asked to use the bathroom. As she headed in the direction of his ground floor toilet Richard ran upstairs as a thought of Nicole in his house took shape. He opened his bedroom door quietly and had to blink twice at the sight in front of him. Lying on his bed, asleep with only red ribbon protecting her modesty lay Nicole. He quietly shut the door and rushed downstairs to get rid of Katie.  
Nicole had been woken by laughter and noises of someone exiting a taxi, she had looked out of the window to see the man she had been waiting for paying the taxi driver as a blonde haired woman ran her fingers up and down his spine and over his arse. Both appeared to have been drinking hence the noise and laughter. Nicole had wanted to stomp downstairs to confront Richard but realising she only had the ribbon around her she had instead climbed back on the bed ready to confront him. Her nerve however failed her as she heard him dashing up the stairs and she had faked sleep when the door had opened until it had closed again. Thoughts waged a war in her head about what she should do but then her instinct to fight for her man kicked in so she climbed out of bed and grabbed Richard’s robe from his en-suite shower room. As stealthily as possible she left the bedroom and crept down the stairs.  
Richard had dashed back downstairs from his bedroom in the hope he could get Katie out of his house without Nicole being any the wiser before going to wake her up, however as he entered his living room again he spotted Katie lounging naked on his sofa and an expletive left his mouth. Katie laughed and said “I hope so” and opened her legs wide whilst licking her lips. Richard stepped towards her and started to say she needed to leave running a hand through his hair, but Katie wrapped her legs around his waist locking them at the ankles just as Nicole silently looked into the lounge. Tears stung her eyes as she turned from the sight before her. Wearing just Richard’s robe she picked up her handbag which she had left on the coatrack by the front door and silently slipped out the door without Richard hearing her.  
It took a minute but Richard disentangled himself from Katie and asked her to leave, he apologised if she had thought he wanted more but he had a girlfriend and he wasn’t willing to risk a night with Katie. Katie had pouted and tried every feminine wile she could think of to change his mind but as she realised he wouldn’t budge she left to dress in the toilet she had stripped in and then left the house to Richard’s further apologies. Taking a deep breath he headed upstairs knowing he would need to come clean about the kissing but hoping Nicole had missed him as much as he had missed her to forgive him for what he had done. Opening his bedroom door he found the room empty, he searched the house from top to bottom but came up empty in his search for Nicole, had he dreamt her? He knew he hadn’t by her overnight bag at the end of the bed and the dent in the pillow and duvet which still held a hint of her warmth and perfume and all he could do was drop to his knees and swear.

Nicole found a taxi at the end of Richard’s street, quite possibly the one that had dropped him and his companion at his house. She jumped in and gave her address before letting the tears roll down her cheeks.   
Richard tried calling but Nicole didn’t answer, he left voicemails with every call asking her to call and saying nothing had happened, Katie had been drunk so he’d brought he back to sleep but she’d kissed him and tried to get more from him but he promised it had only been a kiss. Nicole had listened to the first few but then Emily had taken her phone from her and had put her to bed. When the phone rang again forty minutes after Nicole had arrived home Emily answered it. “Thank God, please tell me you are safe” Richard demanded. “She’s fine no thanks to you” Emily stated coldly, “I suggest you leave her alone after the stunt you pulled tonight, I’ll come and collect her stuff on Sunday afternoon after work, perhaps you could leave her bag in your porch” and with that Emily disconnected the call and turned Nicole’s phone off.  
Nicole spent two days feeling sorry for herself but then decided that as she was on precious leave she would make the most of it and she headed out to see her grandfather in his beachside cottage in Sussex. The sea air helped Nicole feel refreshed and she enjoyed catching up with her only living relative that she knew of. Her mother hadn’t known who her father was having been in her mother’s words an exotic dancer in a club. In Nicole’s words she was a prostitute with a base, her mother had forgotten to pick up her contraceptive prescription thinking missing one day wouldn’t hurt. Nicole was the result. Sadly her mother had been killed in a drink driving related incident just as Nicole was taking her A-Levels. She’d accepted a lift from one of the club patrons who was over the drive limit, he’d run a red light and they had been hit by another car, her mother taking most of the impact. At the end of her leave Nicole headed back to London ready to go back to work in Intensive Care. On the train back home she looked at her phone and found a notification on her calendar reminding her today was Richard’s birthday and she let a tear slip from her eye. He had called and left messages every day for the past 9 days except for today. Emily had come home after work with Nicole’s overnight bag a week ago and had been a shoulder to cry on when needed, but hadn’t asked Nicole any questions or offered any more advice. Nicole wondered whether she should call, her finger hovering over the call button next to his contact details but instead she chose the message option and sent a simple Happy Birthday.  
Richard had spoken to his father via face time this morning and had also had a Zoom call with his brother and nephew. His brother picked up on his poor mood and asked what he was so glum about, so Richard asked if he was alone and then told him what had happened. “Do you want my advice?” his brother questioned. “Probably not but I’m sure you will give it to me anyway so go ahead” Richard leant back in his chair ready for his brother to speak. He took his time before saying “if I’ve understood things right about you and Nicole, things have taken time and she isn’t like anyone you have usually had a relationship with. I mean she is a nurse not someone in theatre or the acting industry, none of us can know the pressure she feels in the current climate and although we are all frustrated that we are sitting at home she is out there on the front line. Christ Richard, she’s looking after people who are dying, can you even think what that is like because I can’t” he took a breath. Richard rubbed a hand over his face but before he could speak his brother continued. “Honestly I think you would have backed out before anything happened the other night but Nicole must have seen something and ran, personally I don’t blame her because if she’d cooked all that food she was expecting to spend some time with you and then she sees another woman naked clinging to you. You need to win her back the way you won her originally and take the time that she needs to do that. Give her space, have you sent flowers?” Richard shook his head. “Come on bro, woo her, and make her see the man she met on the train.” Rubbing his hand over his face again Richard simple nodded and said “thanks bro, I’m an idiot” to which his brother purely laughed. Unable to do anything else Richard opened a bottle of wine and when that was empty he opened another. When his phone pinged that he had a text later that afternoon he picked it up and seeing it was from Nicole he opened another bottle of wine.

Nicole was due back at work tonight, working nights for the next 4 nights having picked up an extra shift on Thursday night before heading back onto days on Sunday. She had semi promised herself she wouldn’t work as much as she had been during the initial phases of the pandemic especially as the number of new daily cases was dropping rapidly but now she had no reason not to pick up bank shifts and she would rather be at work than sitting at home thinking about Richard, who hadn’t contacted her at all since her text on his birthday. She was watching daytime TV when the doorbell rang, she opened the door and came face to face with a huge bouquet of flowers in yellow’s, oranges and whites which included freesia’s, sunflowers, gerbera, carnations and roses. She took a sniff of the blooms as she entered the kitchen looking for a vase thinking they were for Emily. Placing the blooms on the kitchen counter Nicole noticed that the card attached to the flowers had her name written on it, so with shaky fingers she opened the card. Richard’s bold script on the card simply said “Nicole, I’m sorry but please let me explain in person. I will wait until you are ready to speak. Stay safe, all my love R.” Nicole didn’t realise she was crying until a tear splashed onto the countertop.  
That night on her break she sent a text thanking Richard for the flowers and explained that she was working nights currently. She also said she needed time before seeing him but she would be in touch when she was ready. She included a kiss at the end of her text, she had feelings for him even though their relationship hadn’t really had a chance to develop and she did feel she owed him the chance to tell her in person what happened, just because she had been a coward that night didn’t mean she needed to be now. Emily had told her when she had gotten home from her shift in A&E at 4pm and had seen the flowers that Nicole had the power now and that she should make Richard sweat a little. Nicole hadn’t wanted to be cruel but then Emily had reminded her that she had been upset less than two weeks ago because of him and that if he really did want Nicole as his girlfriend then she needed to make the rules. Nicole had thought and thought about Emily’s words all night, she knew she had a point but perhaps she was also partially to blame for Richard being tempted to stray.  
She returned to work, he patient was improving and was the least complicated on the unit but then the unit received a call about a patient needing transfer from one of the wards as they were deteriorating, Nicole was in charge for the shift so she handed her patient to her colleague James and started to prep the one empty bed space they had for the new admission. Thirty minutes later the doors flew open and the new patient arrived surrounded by a team of doctors, anaesthetist’s and nurses and Nicole forgot about Richard as she helped to stabilise the patient.   
Two nights later the patient that Nicole had admitted previously lost their life to Covid-19 and Nicole spent over an hour trying to console the wife and son of the patient in their grief. Her initial patient from two nights previous had also left the unit transferred to one of the wards for further rehab, but having come off of the ventilator yesterday they were now stabile enough not to need Intensive Care. One of the empty bed spaces had been filled by the time Nicole had returned from the mortuary with her patient so she helped her colleagues to admit the patient and took a plan of care from the consultant on call. She didn’t have time to think about her own worries all the time the unit continued to admit critically ill patients.  
Nicole thought about contacting Richard on Saturday, it was her day off between her night shifts and her return to day shifts on Sunday but deciding she was still tired and not feeling great she decided to leave the call until Monday afternoon after her early shift as she had Tuesday as a day off having chosen not to pick up an additional shift. Not feeling great she had declined when the unit Matron had asked if she would work on Tuesday, and thinking that part of her feeling off was due to Richard she had vowed that she would contact him and see what happened. Arriving home on Monday Nicole felt even worse than she had on Saturday and she was shocked that her nerves around speaking to Richard were having such an effect on her. She had already showered on the unit but she showered again and then sat at the kitchen counter and scrolled through her contacts to Richard’s details. Before her nerves took over she hit dial and waited for Richard to answer.

Richard hadn’t heard from Nicole since her text overnight a week ago, but she had asked for time so he was giving it to her even if he was now getting impatient. He thought about sending more flowers or even a chocolate hamper but then decided that she might think he was pushing so he held off and instead focussed on the work he could do from home. Even though the national lockdown was being eased Theatres were still closed, not that Richard technically had any work in the theatre currently as his latest play should have finished its run weeks ago. He was taking a break from recording an audiobook and was making a cup of tea when his phone rang and Nicole’s name was flashing on the screen. He answered on the third ring, Nicole didn’t beat about the bush she simply said she was ready to talk so Richard asked where they should meet and she named the park near his house in forty minutes. Forgetting the tea he was making he rushed to shower and change before heading out of his front door, hoping the local florist was open.  
Nicole took the train, she felt hot and sweaty and put this down to her anxiety about being face to face with Richard and hearing what he had to say about the evening she now desperately wanted to forget. She had been deliberate in picking the park near his house because if she did forgive him which she hoped she would be able to do she secretly hoped that he would take her home and make love to her as he had six months previously so that they could forget what had happened and move forward with their relationship. Nicole had silently vowed that she would make more of an effort to make their relationship work and she wouldn’t work extra shifts for a few weeks so that she had some time to spend with Richard. She had worn jeans and a light sweater but the weather was still seasonably warm and Nicole could feel a bead of sweat roll down her back as she sat in the train carriage. The next stop was her stop and she was glad to get out into the fresh air. Nicole made her way to the park and walked through the north gate to head towards the garden area she had suggested they meet. As she grew closer to the spot she could see Richard’s figure on a bench holding flowers but even though her feet were taking her closer she felt like she was getting further and further away from him as he swam in front of her eyes. She felt she must almost have reached him as her feet carried her forward but he still seemed to be so distant from her, then everything started to swim before her and she felt as if she was drowning, as the world started to turn black she heard Richard’s voice desperately shout her name.

Richard watched in horror as Nicole dropped to the ground about thirty metres from the spot where he sat, he wasn’t the only person in the park who rushed to her side and the man who reached her first quickly put up a hand and yelled “stay back, she’s burning up.” Richard was torn, he wanted to hold her and tell her she would be OK, but the man who had reached her first kept telling him to stand back as he also tried to keep some distance as they waited for the ambulance. The paramedic’s arrived dressed in haz-mat suits and respiratory hoods looking like they belonged in a Sci-Fi film. They worked quickly to get Nicole in an ambulance and Richard stood waiting to speak to them before they headed off. When one of them exited the back of the ambulance he asked if he was family, Richard explained he was her boyfriend and so was told they couldn’t tell him anything although he managed to find out that they were heading to St Thomas’s Hospital. With that the driver’s door was opened and the ambulance quickly headed off with lights flashing and siren’s blaring.  
Richard returned home and called the hospital, the woman on the phone wouldn’t tell him anything, she didn’t even confirm that Nicole was in the hospital. Richard had never felt so much frustration in his life, he couldn’t begin to think about losing Nicole, not when he hadn’t been able to tell her his side of the story for the night she had been in his house. He didn’t know what to do or where to turn so he called his brother and let the tears run freely.

Emily had been sent to the staff room as soon as she had gasped that’s my flatmate when Nicole was rushed into A&E unconscious, she had been in the room for at least forty minutes and was trying not to freak out. She and Nicole had barely crossed paths due to their shifts over the past week and she was trying to think of all of the possible non coronavirus related reasons her friend could be lying in the isolation room of the resuscitation area unconscious. The door opened and Elaine the older receptionist entered the room, she held a piece of paper in her left hand which she held out towards Emily. “I know this isn’t allowed but he phoned and phoned and well when he told me who his brother was and why he wanted information about Nicole I said I’d see what I could do but it might take a while.” Emily frowned, Elaine’s words didn’t make sense, until she looked at the paper that simply said Richard’s brother and two phone numbers. Thirty minutes later having been updated on Nicole’s condition by her colleagues Emily excused herself outside. She found a quite spot and called the mobile number on the paper she had in her pocket. When it was answered she simply said, “Is this Richard’s brother?” The answering yes sounded similar to the man who she had watched on TV so she had no doubt. She then told him that Nicole was ventilated in intensive care and that it looked like she probably had Covid-19. The man she was speaking to thanked her profusely and explained that Nicole had been meeting Richard when she collapsed, he told her Richard was a mess and that he honesty felt he did love Nicole. Emily admitted she knew Nicole was in love with Richard but perhaps as she wasn’t hugely experienced she didn’t know that herself yet, and that her job was important to her so she had flung herself into that when the pandemic hit. After a few more minutes talking, Emily agreed she would keep Richard’s brother informed on how Nicole was doing.  
It was almost four weeks since Nicole had collapsed and Richard had just spoken to his brother who had called with the latest news from Emily which was that Nicole remained on a ventilator and nothing had really changed other than Nicole’s latest Covid-19 swab had come back negative, the first negative result since her admission. It was now mid-October and the play Richard had filmed was about to be screen in cinema’s but the United Kingdom was also close to another national lockdown due to the increasing numbers of people contracting the virus. Richard had been tested three times in the two weeks following Nicole’s admission to hospital and all of his swabs had been negative. It had scared him how Nicole, a fit and healthy thirty two year old could be so unwell and as a result he had almost become a recluse, sitting at home waiting for news.

Nicole kept trying to open her eyes but she felt so tired that she couldn’t, it was strange however that she felt like she was a work, the familiar sounds of alarms and machines filled her ears so why were her eyes closed. The next time she tried opening her eyes she saw her colleague James sitting beside her, why was she lying down if she was at work? James shouted and several people came and stood around her, including the unit matron who smiled and said “it’s about time you woke up.”   
Over the next couple of weeks Nicole recovered in Intensive Care, she could have been moved to a ward but her colleagues wanted her to stay on the unit and so she had. Emily had been allowed to visit briefly and she told Nicole that she had been keeping Richard up to date, she didn’t exactly tell her how but that didn’t matter now. Of course she had updated Richard’s brother when Nicole woke up and again after her visit. When she phoned to say Nicole was possibly being discharged the next week Richard’s brother asked if anyone would look after her when she got home. Emily said she would do what she could but would be at work some of the time, Emily hadn’t been surprised when she was told that Nicole could go to Richard’s house and agreed to see what Nicole said. So when she went in after her shift and Nicole said she could be discharged after the weekend Emily shared that Richard was offering to look after her. Nicole had bitten her lip and asked what Emily thought about that idea. She had said she wasn’t one hundred percent on board but given she would be at work she thought it might be an idea, however she did say that if Nicole wanted to leave his house she needed to call and Emily would come and get her as soon as she could. Asking Emily to pass her her phone, Nicole quickly turned it on knowing they were not permitted in the unit and sent a quick message to Richard saying “if the offer stands I would like to come and stay with you when I am allowed out of here.”  
Richard was thrilled that Nicole had asked to come to stay with him, she needed another negative swab and the results of her latest swab were due any time.   
His phone rang on Monday morning showing a withheld number, tentatively he answered and a lady asked if she was speaking to Richard, he confirmed she was and she then introduced herself as Karen the Matron on Intensive Care at St Thomas’s Hospital. She asked Richard if he could care for Nicole as she continued her recovery and then talked through what would be needed to support Nicole over the next couple of weeks. With Karen happy that Nicole would be cared for she told Richard that Nicole would be ready to head home after 3pm.  
Richard was asked to wait in the relatives room when he arrived at the Intensive Care Unit, Karen who had spoken to that morning came and met him and gave him bags of medication and some instructions on physical exercises Nicole should try to complete. She also advised that Nicole didn’t overdo things for a couple of weeks as she continued her recovery. Karen left Richard having said Nicole would be wheeled out any minute. Richard was glad that he schooled his features as the doors opened and Nicole came through in a wheelchair, she looked thinner than Richard remembered and she looked so tired that she could sleep for a week. Most of Nicole’s colleagues from the unit wished her well as she left pushed by one of the portering team whilst Richard walked beside her. The taxi he had booked was waiting and having put Nicole’s bag into the taxi, Richard helped Nicole take a seat before buckling first her seatbelt and then his. Arriving at his house, Richard lifted Nicole from the taxi and carried her into his lounge. He settled her onto the sofa and went to the kitchen to make himself a coffee and fetch Nicole a glass of juice, when he returned she was asleep.  
Nicole woke and was surprised she couldn’t hear the constant hum and beep of medical devices, she started to sit when she realised an arm was flung over her waist, she looked over to see Richard asleep beside her so she scanned the room and realised she was in his bed. Trying not to disturb Richard she sat forward slightly to catch the bedside clock. The red illumination showed 02:38, Nicole had slept for hours since she had arrived at Richard’s house and now she needed the toilet. She partly wondered how she had ended up in bed but Richard had easily carried her from the taxi so she assumed he had brought her to bed. He had removed her leggings and jumper so she was in her t-shirt and knickers. Carefully she wriggled from under his arm to sit on the side of the bed, she could get to the toilet attached to the bedroom but she needed to prepare herself. Bracing her hands on the mattress ready to push herself to standing Nicole was preparing to move when the bed behind her moved and Richard’s sleep infused voice told her not to move. Within seconds he was standing in front of her in a pair of pyjama pants that didn’t do much to hide his erection, he instructed Nicole to put her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist as he picked her up and took her to the bathroom. Pulling the door closed but ajar so he could hear her if she needed him he waited for Nicole to do what she needed to and then carried her back to bed.  
Having settled back against the pillows Nicole turned to face Richard, she’d had time to think and she didn’t need to hear what Richard wanted to say, she was willing to forgive him whatever had happened three months ago and now just wanted to move forward. She placed a hand onto his chest and then looked towards his face. “I don’t need to know, I just want us to move forward and see where things take us.” Richard picked up Nicole’s hand and kissed her fingers. “I want to see where things go too and I’m sorry if I hurt you, I promise I will do everything in my power to never do that to you again.” Nicole gave a shy smile and then snuggled in closer to Richard, letting her hand drift down his chest and under the waistband of his pyjama pants. Richard’s hand gripped her wrist before she could touch him, Nicole kissed his chest and asked if she could help take care of his friend in his pants, Richard’s laugh rumbled through his chest, “I’d normally wouldn’t hesitate to take you up on the offer but you are not up to anything like that so it will be fine, I can live.” Kissing his chest again Nicole answered “I’m sure you can manage and I’m not suggesting anything other than my hand doing what your hand would do if I wasn’t here right now.” Richard moved to kiss Nicole on the lips as the hand on her wrist slowly withdrew her hand from his pyjama pants to rest it onto his chest. “Not tonight sweetheart, but I’ll bank that offer for another time for sure.”

After a week of fussing by Richard, Nicole persuaded him to return to his home studio to work for some of the day, Nicole’s strength improved from day to day and after a couple of weeks she could prepare a basic meal and could walk to the park and back with Richard. A lot of her time was spent watching daytime television or DVD’s and Emily visited a few times bringing extra clothing for Nicole from their flat. Whilst Nicole enjoyed curling up next to Richard in bed he still hadn’t cashed in the hand job she had offered or done much more than kiss Nicole since she had been discharged and Nicole was starting to get frustrated. She knew he was being gentle with her, not wanting her to get tired but she often excused herself for a bath or shower in the evening not wanting Richard to know the effect his being around her had on her panties, she had never been so turned on in her life that she was aware of. She had tried to move things forward but Richard had stopped Nicole’s wandering hands and had then pulled her into his arms to hug her tight. She had asked Emily what she thought she should do and being Emily she had suggested that Nicole take matters into her own hands and to basically seduce Richard. Nicole wasn’t sure she knew how to do that but she decided that she would see if she could take things a little further than a few kisses in the bedroom tonight. She excused herself as usual to go to use the bathroom before bed but after the shower instead of her usual pyjama shorts and top Nicole pulled out a lacy teddy that Emily had packed in the most recent bag. It was soft pink in colour with black straps and piping and barely covered Nicole’s bottom. She could hear Richard downstairs checking the emptying the dishwasher and knew that he would then check the windows and doors before coming up to the bedroom. Preparing herself Nicole laid on the top of the duvet waiting for Richard, she didn’t have to wait long his breath catching as he entered the room, he stopped in the doorway and didn’t move. Finding her courage Nicole asked “are you standing there all night or are you joining me in this bed?” Richard’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed before he managed to move his feet coming to sit on the bed by Nicole. Richard raised a hand to run his fingers through her hair and Nicole leaned in resting her head on his shoulder. “Sweetheart I want you but I don’t want to do anything that will undo all of the progress you have made” he swallowed again “I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t recovered, I was so scared I was going to lose you and never get a chance to apologise and see if you love me the way that I love you.” Nicole gasped and pulled back from Richard, he had never said the L word to her before, she looked up and saw tears falling down his cheeks.  
She kissed a tear on his cheek and then looking directly into his eyes declared “I love you I can’t deny it and I want you” kissing him briefly on the corner of her mouth she then pulled away again “I’m not going to break and I’m not going to do something that I can’t handle, but honestly I can’t go on any longer being this turned on every night and then simply lying in your arms and kissing you.” Richard held her close and kissed her, his tongue caressing the seam of her lips before she opened and allowed their tongues to duel. Gently Richard allowed his hands to wander over the skin of her shoulders and arms as Nicole opened the buttons on the neck of his polo shirt and then pulled it free from his jeans. Their kiss was broken as Nicole pulled his polo shirt over Richard’s head before their kisses resumed and their hands continued to explore each other’s bodies. Richard pushed off of the bed to release his belt and open the button and fly of his jeans, once he had done this he quickly pushed his jeans and boxers down his legs stepping out of them. He then removed his socks and climbed back onto the bed and using his teeth pulled a strap of the lacy teddy down Nicole’s arm. Nicole and Richard explored each other’s bodies learning what each other liked given that they had been a couple for almost a year they didn’t really know each other sexually.   
Richard took his time to make love to Nicole, Nicole reaching orgasm mere seconds before Richard too reached his climax. The couple lay in each other’s arms, their hands still exploring each other’s bodies. Nicole broke the silence they had fallen into one their breathing had evened out, “I’m going to have to go back to work” she declared. “I know” Richard answered “but don’t rush”, Nicole opened her mouth to speak but Richard stopped her with a finger on her lips. “I know you are feeling guilty that you are not supporting your colleagues, but just remember that you needed them to look after you and as your manager said, you need to take time to recover before going back to work even on the phased return they are going to arrange for you.” Nicole sighed, “how did you know I am feeling guilty” she enquired. “I see it written all over you” he answered “but your colleagues would rather you returned fit and able to work than feeling like you could work but not being able to do what they need and then being more of a hindrance.” Nicole thought for several minutes and then purely said “how did you get to be so clever?”

Nicole and Richard started Christmas preparations the following day, Richard retrieving a box of decorations from his loft before driving out of town with Nicole to select a tree. Nicole had laughed when she had woken in Richard’s arms that morning and he had suggested decoration his house for Christmas but she was enjoying herself. She had generally worked over the Christmas period allowing her colleagues with children or a close-knit family the chance to be at home. She was hoping that when she saw the Occupational Health Team in a couple of weeks they would let her return to work which meant she could be back at work for Christmas but that thought didn’t thrill her, in fact she felt sad although she knew Richard was hoping to see his family ay Christmas so she would probably be alone anyway so she might as well be at work.  
After getting the tree home and decorated they were sitting drinking hot chocolate when Richard asked Nicole if she wanted to go to Leicester with him on Christmas Eve to spend a couple of days with his family. Nicole wanted to say yes but simply burst into tears, this felt like it was too much and she told Richard this. He reassured her saying his family would be happy for her to spend time with them, Richard even offered to take her Grandfather with them which had made Nicole cry even harder. When she could speak she said her Grandfather would be OK as he would be taken to the local elderly day care where he would get dinner and presents. Nicole told Richard she would love to spend Christmas with him but then said if she was back at work she would probably be needed, but she would see whether she could have some time. Richard had kissed her again and told her to stop feeling guilty.

Nicole returned to work on minimal hours two weeks later, she waited a few days before asking to speak with her Matron. After being asked how she was coping Nicole broached the subject of Christmas. “I know I usually work but I wondered, is it possibly to have leave from the 24th til the 28th?” Her manager assured her that the rota’s were covered without Nicole’s input until the end of January and that she deserved some leave over Christmas. Richard was thrilled when Nicole told him she had leave and would like to join his family at Christmas, he phoned his father immediately with Nicole sat on his lap. His father was more than happy to prepare another place at his dinner table.  
Nicole had a fantastic Christmas with Richard’s family, they had all included her and she had received gifts from everyone. She had made a Yule Log cake to take and had a gift for Richard but when they had arrived at his father’s house Richard had handed her a bag of gifts to place under the tree that contained gifts for everyone that were signed from her. She hadn’t remembered writing tags but clearly she had. When she had asked Richard about it and had said she would pay him back he asked for his banked hand job but with interest when they returned home to London. She had duly paid in full on New Year’s Eve.

Nicole’s full recovery took a while but by March 2021 she was back to work full time by which time Covid-19 cases were declining significantly following a national vaccination programme. She spent a lot of time at Richard’s house but occasionally stayed at the flat she shared with Emily. Emily missed her but didn’t mind that Nicole wasn’t home much having moved her boyfriend that she met in December into the flat. Nicole liked him but hadn’t known where to look when he had come out of the shower naked one morning when she arrived home from a night shift. Nicole’s relationship with Richard developed as time passed, one of their first challenges came when Richard flew out to America to film a new six part series over the summer, Nicole was worried that Richard might stray when he had been drinking again but he called and face-timed regularly and when he returned Nicole made sure they made up for all of the time they had been apart in the bedroom with a whole range of new lingerie.  
Richard asked Nicole to book some leave in early November which she did, she wondered if he would take her away somewhere but when her leave started she found that she spent the first day sitting in her house watching TV so she didn’t think they were going away. That evening Richard asked her to put her coat, scarf and gloves on and then led her out into his garden. They stood on the patio as someone set off fireworks from the bottom of the garden. Nicole was so engrossed in the display that she failed to notice that Richard had dropped to one knee beside her. The overhead display ceased but immediately Nicole’s eyes spotted a display attached to the fence panel that started to form letters. As the words Marry Me appeared Nicole gasped and turned towards Richard, finding him on his knee holding out a box containing a square cut diamond. Nicole dropped to her knees throwing her arms around Richard, tears streaming down her face. “Is that a yes?” he queried. “Yes” Nicole replied and Richard placed the ring on her finger.

The wedding took place in June of 2022 in London. Nicole’s grandfather even managed to walk her down the aisle despite his own health deteriorating. As the newly married couple sat surrounded by their family and friends following the ceremony Richard whispered in Nicole’s ear “are you happy?” Nicole smiled before saying “Yes I am happy but I’ll be even happier when we get back to our hotel room” which made Richard laugh.

22nd May 2024 – Richard wanted more than anything to take away the pain his wife was in, she had been in labour for thirty hours and he hadn’t left her side, mopping her brow, getting her iced drinks and her favourite snacks, he’d allowing her to bite his shoulder, squeeze his hand and had generally calming her down when she had said it was too much. Then the midwife had said that Nicole could indeed push with her next contraction. Seven pushes later and their baby boy was out and placed onto Nicole’s chest. Richard allowed his tears to flow as he cut the cord and then kissed his son’s head before kissing his wife. Life was now perfect.


End file.
